Aletta Blogt

Baptizing a tulip? I couldn’t quite grasp what that would involve, when I was asked whether I was willing to baptize a tulip at the 11th congress of the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health, in The Hague, May 19 – 22. As the request came from a serious- sounding medical doctor, who explained that they had decided to have a new tulip grown which would be named after Aletta Jacobs, I realized it was no hoax and agreed. Indeed I felt it was another honour to our pioneering feminist doctor, Aletta Jacobs, after whom our institute is named. She already has several statues, streets and schools named after her, why not a tulip?

The ceremony was to be held at the end of the closing session of the congress. Till then the participants were made to believe that the ubiquitous yellow tulips (in their rooms,, on big banners, on the programme, as decorations for the tables of the speakers) were merely a tribute to one of the major Dutch export products, and that it was pride of their country’s horticultural tradition that made the organizers favour this yellow tulip.

The ceremony was well rehearsed, and on paper I was properly announced as the director of Aletta, institute of women’s history. Yet when I came on stage to perform my act, I was greeted with ‘and here is the famous Saskia Wieringa, who is both a lesbian and a Muslim.’ Nothing professor doctor so and so, the director of a venerable, 75 year old institution, author of numerous books and articles. The master of ceremony clearly had decided to prepare himself by googling up my name on the general google site, not on Google Scholar.
I replied that I thought I was here because of my position as the director of the Aletta institute for women’s history, and that I did not expect to discuss my sexuality and religion in front of an audience of some 1000 gynaecologists from all over the world, but that I would be happy to do so at a more appropriate time.
He agreed to drop the topic, so I could launch into my explanation of who Aletta Jacobs was and why we as an institute, that bore her name and was built up with the help of her collection were honoured to have this new tulip. She embodied in her life and work the combination of a struggle for women’s rights, sexual right, social justice and women’s education, all topics that were emphasized in the The Hague Declaration the congress had just adopted.

Then followed the business of baptising a big bunch of yellow flowers that were put on a table in the middle of the stage. A bottle of champagne was brought and I said that I felt this was the ultimate act of deflowering. However, midway through the process of opening the bottle I realized I needed to shake it vigorously, a practice I usually abhor. In my view a champagne bottle is opened gently, with a little thud, the liquid pouring out eagerly for sure, but not spouting wildly. Yet this was what was required for this occasion, so I proceeded to shake, directing the golden stream towards the bright yellow flowers in front of me. This, to me, felt more like raping than deflowering, I muttered in my mike.

The organizing committee came on stage and together we finished the bottle, the same brand James Bond used to drink, so I was informed. I don’t know what brand Aletta Jacobs favoured.